Gary Lineker subtly hinted that his career at the BBC ‘wasn’t meant to end this way’ as he began his final Match of the Day show after being axed.
‘It wasn’t meant to end this way,’ he began, before a pause. ‘But with the title race over and the relegation places confirmed, the Champions Leaguewas all we had left to talk about.’
He was joined by long-time friends Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, with whom he hosts the popular The Rest Is Football podcast.
And the BBC paid tribute to their anchor of 26 years, featuring a montage of some of his goals and early presenting work before the main titles sequence.
Lineker was condemned after sharing a pro-Palestine Instagram video which featured an emoji of a rat, with critics accusing him of promoting a familiar anti-Semitic slur.
The former England football captain posted a video in which Canadian-Palestinian lawyer Diana Buttu attacks Israel’s war in Gaza that had a cartoon image of a rat. Images of rats and other vermin were regularly used as tropes by Nazi Germany to depict Jewish people, as many of Lineker’s critics pointed out.
Gary Lineker opened his final Match of the Day show with a subtle joke about it not being ‘meant to end this way’
The BBC featured a montage of some of Lineker’s goals at the start of the Sunday show
They also featured a clip of his early presenting work from 26 years ago
His final show was peppered with references to his departure.
Commentating on theFulham vs Manchester City game, as Kevin De Bruynewas shown being substituted on, commentator Mark Scott quipped: ‘One of the best in the business makes his final appearance in front of the Match of the Day cameras today. And you can of course say the same about Kevin De Bruyne here at Fulham!’
Richards also joked that Levi Colwill was ‘like a prime Gary Lineker’ for the movement for his goal against Nottingham Forest.
And Liverpool manager Arne Slot paid tribute to the outgoing presenter in an interview with him, saying: ‘Thank you for being a great presenter of a BBC show I have watched many times when I lived in Holland and now still. Great what you did and (I would have) liked that I could give you a Liverpool shirt instead of the other clubs you played for.’
Lineker confirmed his departure from the corporation earlier this month and ‘apologised unreservedly’ for his actions, saying he was unaware of the meaning of the symbol and added: ‘I would never consciously repost anything anti-Semitic – it goes against everything I stand for’.
He said that stepping down from his role with the BBC – where he was once the highest paid star – was ‘the responsible course of action’.
The former England striker will not front the public broadcaster’s coverage of the 2026 World Cup as planned, or coverage of the FA Cup next season. He will leave without a pay-off from his £1.4million salary.
Lineker shared the recent controversial post, originally uploaded by another account, as it featured a critique of Zionism – the belief that there should be a national homeland for Jewish people in Israel.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot paid tribute to Lineker in an interview with him on the show
Micah Richards joked that Levi Colwill had the movement of Gary Lineker in scoring his goal
Lineker will leave the BBC after apologising amid anti-semitism allegations following a post he shared
He shared a now-deleted reel on Instagram which originated with pro-Palestine group Palestine Lobby and featured an image of a rat
Among the Nazis’ depictions of Jewish people as rats was this poster produced by Adolf Hitler’s regime during their 1940s occupation of Denmark
The BBC stalwart has previously been vocal with his views on the Israeli invasion of Gaza following the October 7 attacks – among other issues – but is not thought to have ever publicly apologised for content he has shared.
Mr Lineker refused to say sorry in 2023 for comparing the then Tory government’s rhetoric over its immigration policy to that of Nazi Germany.
The remark triggered a BBC suspension but this was lifted when colleagues walked out in support of the presenter.
The BBC’s social media rules were then rewritten to say presenters of flagship programmes outside news and current affairs – including Match of the Day – have ‘a particular responsibility to respect the BBC’s impartiality, because of their profile on the BBC’.
Lineker, however, remained unrepentant about the series of incendiary tweets from 2023 that led to his suspension.
In an interview published on BBC2 last month, he said: ‘I don’t regret saying them publicly, because I was right – what I said, it was accurate.
‘Why shouldn’t I have an opinion on things? I’m a b***dy footballer who’s turned into a sports presenter’.
In the same interview with the BBC’s Amol Rajan, he was asked whether it was part of his remit to give a view on Middle East politics.
Lineker’s inflammatory tweet from 2023 compared ministers’ language over migration to ‘Germany in the 30s’
Mrs Braverman said at the time she felt that Mr Lineker’s comments were ‘disappointing’ when he compared her policies to Nazi Germany
Lineker told Amol Rajan that he had the right to give his views despite impartiality rules and said he was ‘right’ to criticise Braverman and the Tories over their immigration polices
Lineker said: ‘I’m sorry. It’s more important than the BBC. What’s going on there [Gaza] is the mass murder of thousands of children — probably something that we should have a little opinion on.’
But on Wednesday, after outrage at the rat image intensified, the former England captain said: ‘On Instagram I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references.
‘I very much regret these references. I would never knowingly share anything anti-Semitic. It goes against everything I believe in.
‘The post was removed as soon as I became aware of the issue.
‘Whilst I strongly believe in the importance of speaking out on humanitarian issues, including the tragedy unfolding in Gaza, I also know that how we do so matters. I take full responsibility for this mistake. That image does not reflect my views. It was an error on my part for which I apologise unreservedly.’
In an interview with The Telegraph this week, Mr Lineker described what is going on in Gaza as ‘beyond depraved.’
He said: ‘We still seem to be on the side of the people who are doing this. We’re still supplying arms.
The long-standing sports presenter has been at the helm of Match of the Day for 25 seasons but was due to step down at the end of this season even prior to this latest controversy
Lineker has been repeatedly outspoken on the Israel-Palestine conflict, something that has caused controversy within the BBC
Footballer-turned-presenter Lineker on Match of the Day in 1999 in his first season
Lineker was widely praised for his heroic performance in the 1990 World Cup (pictured here in the quarter final against Cameroon) as England reached the semi-finals
‘And you think, “Wow, how?” The vast majority of people see it for what it is now.’
On the subject of October 7 he said it was ‘inevitable’ the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land would ’cause massive problems’.
Lineker added fuel to the fire earlier this week over an unrelated issue – as he appeared to take a swipe at the BBC’s director of sport as of last year, Alex Kay-Jelski, saying he ‘wants to change Match of the Day a bit’.
He told Telegraph Sport: ‘I think [a regime change] has [happened], and that’s what I was alluding to [in an earlier interview].
‘He has his reasons, he wants to change Match of the Day a bit. Ultimately, I don’t think they will, because I don’t see how you move a highlights show away from being about highlights.
‘I think he wants more journalists – he has come from that background. He has got no television experience.’
One BBC staff member, who has since he proved right, claimed the combination of sharing the rat emoji and making the comments about Kay-Jelski could spell the end for Lineker at the BBC.
They said: ‘That is being seen as a real dig at the head of sport, which you just don’t do.
Lineker poses with the Premier League trophy shortly before starting his stint as presenter of Match of the Day in 1999
His future has been the subject of speculation for some time, especially after Mail Sport revealed an email in October last year which purported to announce his impending departure
Lineker began his professional career at Leicester CIty, for whom he scored 95 goals in 194 games
Lineker’s prolific strike rate earned him a move to Everton for £800,000 – a tiny sum by today’s standards
In 1986 Lineker got a transfer to Barcelona, then managed by legendary British gaffer Terry Venables
Lineker lost the centre-forward spot under Johan Cryuff so returned to England with Spurs
Spurs and England team mates Paul Gascoigne (left) and Gary Lineker (right) share a joke at a Tottenham Hotspur pre season photocall prior to the 1990/91 season
‘But for it to come so soon after the social media controversy makes it a real problem for him.’
Earlier this year, Lineker implied that the BBC wanted him to move on from Match of the Day.
He said: ‘Well, perhaps they want me to leave. There was the sense of that.’
While the BBC refused to comment on Lineker’s implication at the time, they referred to him as a ‘world-class presenter’ – while adding that Match of the Day ‘continually evolves for changing viewing habits’.
Having made his name at Leicester City, where he played between 1978 and 1985, Lineker went on to play for Everton and Spurs before earning a big-money £2.8million move to Barcelona.
Lineker made his England debut in 1984, earning 80 internationals caps and scoring 48 goals over an eight-year international career.
That puts him forth in England’s list of all-time record goalscorers, after Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney and Sir Bobby Charlton.
The BBC confirmed in November 2024 that Lineker would be stepping down from Match of the Day at the end of this season after 26 years in the job.
More to follow.